The play most of the Northwestern football team remembers from last year’s game against Iowa was quarterback Zak Kustok busting through the line on a keeper to clinch the Wildcats’ 23-21 victory — NU’s only Big Ten win last season.

But for receivers Sam Simmons and Jon Schweighardt, the victory was bittersweet.

Earlier in the game, both players suffered season-ending injuries. Schweighardt fractured his elbow and Simmons broke his clavicle — leaving a gaping hole in a Cats’ receiving corps that already had been depleted by the absence of wideout Teddy Johnson earlier in the season.

“I don’t think there was ever a time last year when Simmons, Schweighardt or Johnson weren’t hurt,” coach Randy Walker said. “It was unfortunate. What was really bad about it was we put a young quarterback (Kustok) out there and he’s got dial-a-receiver. He doesn’t know who’s showing up.”

Schweighardt, who Kustok said “surprised everybody last year,” was back on the field Thursday afternoon at NU’s first spring practice. Simmons was not. His clavicle injury could keep him from practicing all spring. He is not expected to be cleared to play until June or July.

Schweighardt said he felt no ill effects from the elbow he broke last year when he dived out of bounds to make a catch and landed on a sewer grate.

At the time, the freshman got up and finished playing the game. It wasn’t until the next day that he knew something was wrong.

“There was a lot of adrenaline during the game and I didn’t really feel (the injury),” Schweighardt said. “I knew (my elbow) was bleeding and I knew there was a cut.”

Schweighardt said the elbow bothered him a lot at practice the following day, and when he eventually got it X-rayed, he saw it was broken. That put an end to what was shaping up to be an impressive first year for the freshman.

In the offseason, Schweighardt rehabbed the injury and Walker said he is excited to see what his receiver can do next season.

“One of the most disappointing things about last season was to see (Schweighardt) really start to get things figured out and then get hurt,” Walker said. “But he is seemingly better. And he has some instinctual things you don’t coach.”

While Schweighardt’s elbow seems to be fine, Simmons’ clavicle has not healed so quickly. He suffered the injury when a lineman landed on him after a reverse in the game against the Hawkeyes.

During the Cats’ practice Thursday, Simmons stood on the sidelines in a hooded sweatshirt wearing an orange jersey to signify that he was an injured player and shouldn’t be involved in contact drills. Simmons will become very familiar with that orange jersey by the time summer comes around.

Last year, Simmons began the season as a starting wideout and kick returner after being moved from the tailback position. Although Schweighardt eventually took the starting job from him, Simmons finished the season second in receiving yards with 261 and scored a touchdown.

But now frustration has set in for the sophomore who sees no bright side in missing out on NU’s spring workouts.

“Some players would be happy to miss spring practice, but it’s frustrating for me,” Simmons said. “I’m in my sophomore year and I’m injured. I haven’t lifted a weight since the injury and I put on 25 pounds. I’ve got two years left to try and make it to the NFL. When they clear me to play I’m going to have to bust my ass to get back into shape.”

While Simmons and Schweighardt have been nursing injuries during the offseason, Johnson seems to be healthy after suffering from a concussion and nagging injuries last season that caused him to miss all or parts of five games.

As was the case last season, NU is once again stacked with prospects at the wideout position. Fifth-year senior Derrick Thompson, who stepped in nicely for Schweighardt and Simmons at the end of last year, is back. And NU has promising freshmen Ronnie Foster and Kunle Patrick.

According to Kustok, Foster is an “unbelievable athlete” who ran 40 yards in 4.37 seconds.

And Walker said he feels Patrick, “can be a very effective player in our program on both sides of the ball.”

These six receivers will be joined by sophomore Louis Ayeni and freshman Chris Brown, both of whom Walker plans to move from tailback to wideout because of junior running back Damien Anderson’s productivity.

“It doesn’t make sense to have good players like (Ayeni and Brown) sitting behind Anderson, who will probably be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten next season, if not in the country,” Kustok said.

However the Cats choose to work it out, they certainly won’t find a lack of talent at the receiver position, even if one or two more players go down.

“(The injuries) are frustrating because we really need everybody in order to be successful next year,” Schweighardt said. “But I think everyone is progressing well. Hopefully, we can all be on the field next year.”